@@@ Chaka Khan: Hello Happiness (Island, 2019) Chaka Khan brings the old school funk flavors on her new record. Blending aspects of disco into her funk she goes for the popping bass sounds, the string arrangements. I was thinking she had a solid comeback on her hands until she gets into super dirty funk on the third tune (clipped below). It’s guitar driven with synth sparkle and I had to swap out the title track for this funk nugget. Check this track out, it’s bumping at many levels. She continues to burn on the blues down on love track, Too Hot. Surprisingly great music from Khan.
@@@ Tierra Whack: Only Child (Tierra Whack, 2019) I liked Tierra Whack’s 2018 efforts. Maybe not as much as others who gushed but I’m interested in continuing the listening. I like that there are mad school old school doo wop vocal stylings that open the tune before the rhymes come in. A break from the trap! Also a simple but memorable guitar part ringing through the tune. I find lines like ‘you made my heart so cold I should work at Friendly’s’ and ‘money over dick, money over dick’ to be smart and creative. Tierra Whack has it going on with this track.
@@@ William Russell Wallace: San Jacinto (N/A, 2019) I got to this lonesome folk ballad (complete with harmonica solo) via a music publicisit. Wallace’s voice has desperation built into it and while an old Dylan ditty would be a touchstone the difference in vocals takes it to a different place. A little tambourine, some harmonica, a lot of acoustic guitar and his voice. Solid.
YTD recordings listened to: 99
Good music, not list worthy: 56
Not good music: 38
Best: 0
Honorable Mentions: 0
Possibles: Retox, Defeater, Jonwayne, Okkyung Lee, Slidhr, The Chewers, Susie Iberra/Roberto Rodriguez, The Coral, T.O.M.B., Lozen, Erase Errata, Mastery, Hartley C. White, Weed, Cold Water, Luther Dickinson, Graeme Barrett, Fast Asleep, Goldlink, Cavanaugh, Satoko Fuji, Moken, Juan Atkins, Lantern, Twin Peaks, Djelimady Tounkara, The Oh Sees, Denny Zeitlin, MILF, Unfun, De La Soul, Carl Sagan’s Skate Shoes, A Tribe Called Quest, Noname, Klara Lewis, Krullur, The Lowest Form, Hard Proof, Yotoco, Jungle Fire, Sandoz, Oddisee, RAM, Fiver, Succumb Succumb, Gloom, Priests, Propaganda, This is the Kit, Roberto Gonzalez, Integrity, Tuba Skinny, The Expanders, Converge, Criolo, Billy Strings, Flowers of Sulphur, Portal, Lawaii, Etran De L’Air, Ruby Karinto, Elysia Crampton, Parquet Courts, Moskus, Kendl Winter, Tkay Maidza, Barro, Daniel Khan, Tallawit Timbouctou, Sumac, Tropical Fuck Storm, Harriet Tubman, Ammar 808, Anais Maviel, Chaka Khan
Deep In the Music 